


What Lurks in Eryth Woods

by MachineryField



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Monsters, Multi, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:42:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26116654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: Eryth's Gate was a nice place to live, as far as Shulk was concerned. Give or take the spooky stories about Eryth Woods, at least...When Shulk comes face to face with the very beings he refused to believe exist, however, things get a little less nice.
Relationships: Egil/Shulk (Xenoblade Chronicles), Kallian Ancient | Kallian Antiqua/Original Male Character, Linada/Talco | Tyrea, Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua/Fiora/Reyn, Sharla/Vanea (Xenoblade Chronicles)
Kudos: 18





	1. First Sighting

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my friends for reading this over and to my bf who has done enough that I'm going to beg him to let me add him as a co-creator at some point! Blows a kiss for Jooj.
> 
> So, this AU is gonna be wild, but I'm excited for it! Some art to help you all out...
> 
> [Thread of some designs in this AU (could be updated as time goes on?)](https://twitter.com/PhaseSkeith/status/1298104770100486145)
> 
> [Concept Art Machina that served as inspo for some of the monstery designs in this fic](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EUFw4txUEAIqwUf.jpg:large)
> 
> Anyway! Hope you all enjoy this fic! I know I'm going to~

In all his years, Shulk Soss had learned a few things were for certain. One: the gated communities in his town were actually quite nice. Two: the Nopon always seemed ready to give random foodstuff to anyone they considered friends. Three: working under Doctor Galea came with its own unique challenges. Four: the woods nearby were owned by the Antiquas and to be avoided at all costs. And five: monsters absolutely did not exist.

But Reyn and Fiora didn’t agree with that last one, no matter how much he argued the point with them. Each and every time they would pout and wear him down until he agreed to another one of their ‘stakeouts’. Which really just meant they would follow some poor soul from one of the gated communities because apparently they were all secretly not-human.

He sighed, pushing away from his work, petting Alvis’s head absent-mindedly. He was supposed to meet up with the two of them, soon, but… Trying to move the local lab cat usually resulted in claws in the leg, so he was kind of stuck.

“Come on, Alvis…” He sighed, shaking his head. “I need to head out.”

Alvis simply looked up at him and chirped, not moving a muscle. It seemed they were at an impasse.

“Alvis.” Egil, one of the only coworkers of Shulk’s still in the building, clicked his tongue. “Come here.”

Alvis one again chirped, but actually did get up, hopping over to Egil and climbing him like he was a cat tree. How Egil didn’t react to the claws in his body, Shulk would never know…

Egil in general was a bit odd, quiet, but brilliant. His sister Vanea was often the more talkative of his coworkers, along with Doctor Galea herself… But Egil did show he cared, in his own little ways. Dealing with Alvis when he was keeping someone from leaving was just one of them.

“You and your friends up to no good again?” Egil raised an eyebrow as he scratched Alvis’s chin. “Maybe you could take the little bastard with you.”

“Alvis is  _ not  _ a bastard, Egil!” Shulk huffed, crossing his arms. “...But yes, they’re back to their monster searching ways.”

Really, he was pretty sure they were just in it for the thrills. Every time he suggested sneaking into the woods, the most likely place for monsters, they would both find ways to keep that from happening. They were sorta-friends with Melia, so it’s not like the trespassing would be a big deal…

But whatever. He needed to get to them before they did something incredibly stupid without him. It was always better when they did something incredibly stupid all together, after all! Had been that way since they were all kids…

Soon enough, they were in sight, Fiora in her bright overalls and Reyn in one of his many ridiculous crop-tops Fiora insisted he needed. Judging by how they were whispering and giggling, they had come across something “good” this time. If that good was actually good or one of their many false leads as usual, however, remained to be seen.

“Hey you guys, sorry I’m late.” He approached, giving a little wave. “Alvis was being needy again.”

“Sometimes I swear that cat is in love with you.” Fiora rolled her eyes. “Really, the day you all learn to put your foot down is going to be a good day!”

“Never gonna happen, Fiora, we both know that.” Reyn snickered. “That Egil is the only one who puts up a fight and everyone gets all up ‘n arms when he calls the cat names.”

“That’s because Egil is being mean to a defenseless creature.” Shulk shook his head. “Come on now, you guys must have something in mind today. We should focus on that instead of the lab cat.”

“Oh, right!” Fiora nodded. “Melia and I were hanging out the other day and she shooed me away a good hour before sunset. Looked really panicked, too…”

“Fiora ‘n me are thinkin’ she might be hidin’ something!” Reyn rubbed under his nose. “Maybe something all monstery.”

“You mean like the time Sharla shooed us away and it turned out it was because Juju was sick and trying to sleep?” Shulk raised an eyebrow. “What’s next? Dunban is secretly a vampire?”

“He  _ wishes! _ ” Fiora barked with laughter. “Just come on, Shulk! We’ll follow Melia for a while, and if there’s nothing, you can head home to work on one of your projects. Promise!”

“If you say so…”

\--

They had been following Melia for who knows how long, thinking things were going well, when the woman stopped. For a moment, Shulk was wondering if it was for a reason other than them… But then she looked right at the tree they were behind.

“Do you lot plan on stalking me for much longer, then?” Melia sighed as she crossed her arms. “You are all quite capable of speaking, you know! If you need something, you could simply tell me!”

The trio all shared looks, and it was clear they were entering a war. Who would be the one to swallow their pride and be the first to show themselves to Miss Antiqua… Shulk knew he wasn’t as involved in the monster stuff, but like hell he wanted to be the one to come out and explain it all! No, Reyn or Fiora could do that.

Of course, that would take some time as they all stayed frozen. No one wanted to be the person to get Melia’s death glare, that was for certain. But… when Shulk thought about it, that was a reason for Fiora to go! The girls got along well enough, right? She might not get the death glare!

But no way would he voice that. First one to speak was basically volunteering to step out first! Melia and her dangerously good hearing was a real danger when she caught them following after her…

“Ugh… fine!” Fiora finally groaned and stepped out, Shulk and Reyn following shortly after her. “Hey Melia! Long time no see.”

“Long time no see, you say as if you haven’t followed me around like this before.” Melia gave Fiora an amused smile as the other woman flustered. “Ah, as predictable as always, Fiora!”

“Melia…!” She flushed and looked back at the men for a moment. “Not in front of Shulk and Reyn!”

“Ah, my apologies. You have told me they will ‘never let you live it down’ should they catch you embarrassed by someone, yes?” Melia put a hand to her chin. “Or was it a specific kind of person…?”

“A cute girl, I’d bet.” Reyn snickered. “Always suave with cute men, but cute women and you choke up!”

“I could say the same about you!” Fiora turned around and jabbed Reyn in the side about as hard as she could. “You couldn’t speak to Melia without floundering your words for a week straight when we first met her!”

“That’s cause she’s all fancy ‘n proper compared to me! A bloke don’t know how to act…” Reyn rubbed the back of his head. “What about you? You kept starin’ at her for a month straight!”

“I was not staring!” She placed her hands on her hips. “I was just  _ looking _ ! Everyone knows that, Reyn!”

Shulk sighed, watching as his friends began to argue back and forth a bit. It was lighthearted, and something he was used to, but poor Melia… Seeing this couldn’t be very fun for her. He turned to her, and was certain of what he had said when he saw her wide eyes. Oh boy…

“I’m sorry about that, Melia.” He rubbed the back of his head. “Usually we try and behave around you, but well.”

“It’s quite fine, Shulk.” She gave him a small smile. “I am better equipped to handle children after watching any one of your spats, after all.”

“A-aha… yeah… no problem…?”

\--

The rest of the day had been spent with Melia as well as his friends and now? Now Shulk was so tired he just wanted to go to bed, despite all the plans he’d had for the night. He guessed his little robot would have to wait until another day…

Ah, that sucked. After today, he was going to refuse to spend time out with Fiora and Reyn on such silly adventures! Monsters weren’t real and he would convince them of that, one way or another! He just had to figure out what the way that would work would be…

That was when something that didn’t look quite  _ humanoid _ caught his eye. 

A creature, bent over as it walked, a horn protruding from its forehead. Red eyes that glowed in full color, a sharp chin and almost no other discernible features. It’s body seemed to be made of wood and metal, sounding as heavy as it looked. Its feet ended in hooves, metal and wood fused together near its knees, yet its movement was unhindered. Its hands were big, with sharp claws that could easily kill someone like Shulk on the ends…

And it held something in them, something small and silver… Shulk couldn’t help but think of Alvis, now worried about the cat and Egil. Alvis had a habit of following the last person heading home there, and Egil was sure to be the last out today. Had the two made it there alright?

He stared at the creature, watching it go from behind a nearby tree. He felt his body shake, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Was he seeing things? Had he fallen asleep somewhere along the way? A pinch to himself told him it wasn’t the latter, at least…

When the monster was out of sight, he slipped down to his knees, letting out a shaking breath. “Oh my god…”

Maybe Fiora and Reyn were right after all.


	2. Monsters do Exist

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEEHEE SELF-INDULGENCE MODE IS IN FULL SWING
> 
> [Some monstery art for the AU](https://twitter.com/Grimtomes/status/1298795433997803525)
> 
> [Art of the OCs you can expect to pop up :>](https://twitter.com/Grimtomes/status/1299078211960279041)

Shulk had been unable to get that creature out of his mind, to the point of dreams about it. Had that really been a monster? He couldn’t help but wonder if it had been actually there or if he’d been seeing things. He’d never seen things like that before, but it had been late and he had been tired…

Not to mention he’d spent his day with Fiora and Reyn, both insisting on the fact monsters were  _ totally _ real. That could very well have influenced him in some way, he was pretty sure. Not to mention they had been talking with Melia, who the two seemed to think  _ was  _ a monster. Just… plenty was adding up.

Maybe that was why he decided to stop by Sharla’s clinic that morning, just to be safe. She would probably tell him he was being silly and needed to sleep more or listen to less stories before sending him off. Just what Shulk needed before work!

He waved at Linada and Lorithia, the only other doctors, before making his way towards the back. One of the bonuses to being friends with Sharla? He could stop by before hours and get a quick check up whenever he needed. Sharla sure didn’t mind.

“Shulk!” Sharla gave him a small wave, leaning against her desk. “Didn’t expect to see you this morning. Something wrong?”

“I think I’m seeing things, Sharla.” He sighed, throwing himself into the chair in front of the desk. “Last night I thought I saw… A giant monster. Made of wood and metal.”

Sharla blinked a few times, arms crossing over her chest. “You need more sleep.”

“More sleep… yeah, I figured that was the case.” He let out a sigh, leaning back in the chair. “But it’s nice to know that’s exactly what I need.”

“That’s what I’m here for, to point out the obvious flaws in your self care.” Sharla snorted, shaking her head. “Maybe consider some melatonin, so you actually sleep at night.”

“After last night? I think I will. Thanks, Sharla.”

“No problem. Start with ten mg, alright? No more than that.” She moved around her desk, sitting down. “Anything else or can I start prepping for opening?”

“That’s it, thanks, Sharla.” He took that as his chance to stand up and stretch a bit. “I need to get to work, anyway. We’re close to a breakthrough!”

“Ah, right, you work with Doctor Galea, right? I hear you’re doing some big research in using technology to heal… Keep up the good work.” Sharla paused for a moment. “Oh, and tell Vanea I said hi.”

“Sure thing, as long as you don’t ask me to give her a kiss for you, too…” He gave a bit of a cheeky grin, watching Sharla huff in reply.

“Get, you! Just tell her I said hi!”

Shulk laughed, but nodded along. “Sure thing, sure thing!”

\--

Shulk made it to work and was feeling a bit better about that creature he had seen… There was no way it had actually been there! He had just been seeing things thanks to a lack of sleep… Hell, that could even explain that silver fur he thought he saw! He was so tired he’d imagined Alvis being with a monster.

It was a bit silly to admit, which is why he planned to keep it to himself and Sharla only, but that was fine. Now he could relax and focus on his work, you know, the things that mattered. Well, that and convincing Fiora and Reyn that monsters  _ weren’t _ real.

“Hello, Shulk!” Vanea gave him a smile as he walked into work. “I hear you were here late last night. Don’t forget to get your rest.”

“You should scold Egil over it, he was here later than me!” Shulk laughed a bit, shaking his head as he clocked in. “Oh, and Sharla says hi.”

“Oh! Maybe Minix and I will go see her after work then, thank you Shulk.” Vanea turned back to her work with a hum and Shulk smiled.

“Usual babysitter is busy, then?”

“Hi, Shulk!” There was Minix, running up to him and hopping right into his arms, little hands slapping his chest. Little, sharp, pointy hands… “Ylvex was busy, so I gotta come with Vanea and Egil today!”

Had Minix’s fingernails always been that sharp and Shulk just hadn’t noticed? They looked like they could really do some damage… Why was this child allowed to run around with such sharp nails? The only one who could use such sharp nails is a monster--

No, no. Shulk shook those thoughts away. There was no way  _ Minix _ of all people was a monster! They were seven and about as threatening as a piece of bread Klaus would leave out in the morning for Shulk to snack on! He was just being paranoid.

“That’s enough, little rabbit.” Egil pulled Minix out of Shulk’s arms with a sigh. “You should go play with Alvis while we work.”

“But Egiiiiiiiiiiil….”

Shulk watched the siblings and noticed Egil  _ also  _ had scarily sharp nails. Why did he have sharp nails too? Why hadn’t Shulk noticed them before now? The black color they were painted reminded him of that monster’s claws…

No! No, there was no way monsters were real, and that his coworkers and their family were monsters, no less! He was just a little paranoid after last night, that was it… Everything was making him think there were monsters where there weren’t any…

But Vanea’s teeth looked awfully sharp as she laughed and joined her siblings in the middle of the lab. Egil’s and Minix’s were pretty pointy too... 

_ Oh my god… _ He couldn’t help but think as he watched on.  _ My coworkers and their baby sibling are monsters. _

“Pleaseeee!” He finally checked back in as Minix whined. “I wanna help Shulk with work!”

“No, little rabbit.” Egil sighed, shaking his head. “Go play with Alvis or no ice cream once we’re done here.”

“Egil is mean!” Minix huffed, but wiggled free from his grasp and basically ran on all fours to Alvis. A normal little kid thing or another sign of them being a monster? Shulk wasn’t sure.

“Shulk…” Vanea waved a hand in front of his face. “Are you alright? You seem to be spacing out…”

“I… I’m fine!” Shulk shook his head, bringing himself back down to reality. “Just haven’t been sleeping well, is all.”

“Go home early, then.” Egil patted his head as he walked past. “No need to do less than your best because you’re tired.”

“Ah, yeah…” He nodded, touching the spot Egil had just placed his hand. “I’ll go home after a couple or hours.”

Well, he’d actually go right to Fiora and Reyn, but that wasn’t something Egil needed to know. If any of them found out he thought they were monsters, he doubted things would go well, seeing as he’d either be treated as crazy or as a snack for knowing. Neither were that appealing to Shulk, no thank you!

For now, he would just keep his mouth shut and work. It was better that way.

\--

“What’s up, Shulk?” Fiora’s face was filled with concern as he caught up with them in the local park. “We got your text and were super worried, you know!”

Shulk had sent them a text about an hour before he left work, asking them to meet up. He hadn’t meant to worry them, but he did need the two to realize it was urgent, so he had said as much… Maybe his wording hadn’t been the best, though.

He rubbed the back of his head, not looking Fiora or Reyn in the eye. “Sorry about that, it’s urgent, but I’m not in danger or anything! It’s just… I saw a monster last night.”

“You’re kiddin’!” Reyn shook his head. “You of all people being the first one of us to see a monster? I don’t believe it!”

“It’s true!” Shulk huffed, arms crossing over his chest. “It was big, looked like it was made of metal and wood!”

“Are you sure you weren’t just seeing things?” Fiora narrowed her eyes. “Oh, Shulk! You know I always tell you to get more rest! Why do you never listen?”

“Fiora--” He groaned, running a hand down his face. “You two were so dead set on monsters existing and now that I say I’ve seen one, you turn into skeptics?”

“Well, can you blame us, mate? We weren’t  _ that  _ serious about it…” Reyn rubbed the back of his neck. “‘Sides, you used to always insist they never existed.”

“Well, I was proven  _ wrong _ , Reyn! I saw a monster and…”

“And?” Fiora rose an eyebrow, poking Shulk in the side. “Don’t go quiet on us now, Shulk!”

“I think Egil and Vanea are monsters… Minix, too.” He crossed his arms with a sigh. “I want you guys to help me figure out if that’s true or not.”

“Minix… you mean the little seven year old?”

“They’re too pointy to be human, Fiora!”

Fiora rolled her eyes and sighed. “Alright, I can’t believe it, but… I’ll hear you out. How are we going to catch these monsters, hm?”


	3. Failed Attempt

Shulk had decided the best way to catch the monster he had seen was a stakeout around the area he’d seen it the night before. Fiora and Reyn had agreed easily enough, and now they were waiting near the tree, nightfall coming.

Fiora sat on one of the tree branches, legs kicking out, as he and Reyn leaned against the trunk of it. So far, no sign of the creature… But it had to come, right? There was no way it was a one-time mistake…! That was what Shulk had to believe…

He sighed, leaning his head against the tree. Maybe he should’ve just tried and gotten more sleep. Maybe he’d been totally wrong about his coworkers being monsters and monsters being real… Paranoia getting at him! Making him sound like his older brother!

Dammit, he needed to tell Fiora and Reyn he was sorry after this resulted in nothing. He was making himself out to be a total fool right now! He wouldn’t blame them if they never let him live this down.

He was about to finally speak up, say they should just head home, when something caught his eye. Something big and inhuman. It was there…! The monster was actually there, he hadn’t been crazy after all!

“Come on!” His voice was quiet as he stepped away from the tree. “Before it can get away!”

Fiora hopped down from the tree branch and gave a nod. “No way is the monster getting away now! We’ll prove to everyone monsters are real!”

“Let’s get to it, then!” Reyn rolled his shoulder and was off, Shulk and Fiora following closely after him.

Reyn was quick to jump onto the beast’s back, try to get a grasp on its throat. Fiora was quick to follow up by trying to pull its legs out from under him, while Shulk watched. He didn’t think they would get this far… And now? Now he was freezing up.

And that freezing up cost them. The beast lashed out and threw Reyn into the wall with a yell ripping from its throat. Shulk dashed to him, but Fiora? Fiora seemed to have other plans, like showing the beast what was what.

Her scream as it scratched her across the gut chilled Shulk to the bone. Reyn lay against the wall, groaning and groggy, Fiora clung to her stomach on the ground, and Shulk stood there, rage in his gut.

“You…” His voice shook as he stepped towards it, barely registering the look of what had to be fear on his face. “How dare you…!”

He lunged and the monster held out its hands, easily grabbing him and tossing him to the side. Shulk pulled himself up and chased after the monster, ignoring the grogginess hitting him after slamming into the ground so hard.

He ran, as far as his legs could take him, but the monster was still gaining ground. Still getting away from him, no matter how hard he tried… He reached out with a groan, falling to his knees, unable to keep going. He hurt all over, he ached…

“Come… back here…!” And with those words forced out, he passed out.

\--

Egil stepped into his home, breathing heavily. He had just wounded a human, scratched her right across the stomach… The perfect recipe for a new monster to be born. He had reacted without thinking… He was so  _ stupid… _

“Egil!” Minix came bounding up to him with a smile. “You’re home! I thought you’d never come home!”

“Minix….” He dropped to his knees and pulled his little sibling to his arms. “Oh, Minix… I don’t know what to do…”

They nuzzled him before sticking out their tongue. “You just got home! What are you talking about, Egil?”

He wanted to say more, but no. Not in front of Minix, never in front of them. They had been four, adopted into a family of monsters, and turned into one in an accident. To this day the thought of scratches seemed to scare them. The last thing he needed to do now was scare them more.

He stared outward, still holding his little sibling, and could see Vanea watching. She knew whatever it was was important… She would just have to wait until Minix was in bed to hear. There was no way he could say it now, no. For now, he just had to come up with an excuse.

“I may have forgotten to save a file, and I feel very silly about it.” His voice shook as he stroked Minix’s hair. “That’s all.”

“That’s okay! You can redo it tomorrow!” They pulled free of the hug and pat his head with their little clawed hand. “You look tired, anyway, so don’t be hard on yourself!”

“Minix… thank you.” He let out a breath, unable to look them in the eye. “Come on now, you stayed up just for me, didn’t you? You should get to sleep soon.”

“But Egiiiiiil, I’m not tired!”

“Doesn’t matter.” He shook his head, scooping them up and plopping them on his head. “It’s bedtime for you, and I need to talk to Vanea and Father, adult talk.”

“No fair!” Minix huffed. “I wanna be an adult! I wanna be part of adult talk!”

“Alas, you are only seven, little rabbit.” He rolled his eyes, since Minix couldn’t see it. “Complain to Ylvex tomorrow if you’re that upset about it, hm?”

They blew a raspberry, burying their face in his hair. “Only if you read me a story.”

“Alright…” He sighed, but figured reading a story would do him some good. It would let him calm down before explaining just how badly he had messed up on his way home today. He just hoped Vanea and Miqol would listen to his side of it all before panicking or getting angry…

\--

When Shulk woke up, he was crowded onto Dunban’s couch with Reyn. The last thing he remembered was chasing after that monster, anger in his chest at what it had done to his friends, and now… Now he was confused, but still so angry. How had he gotten here?! Where had the monster gone?! Was Fiora alright?!

“You’re finally awake.” He looked up and there was Dunban, frowning at him. “Shulk… I got a call from Sharla, she found you all out, after curfew, unconscious. What were you doing?”

“T… there was a monster, Dunban. There was really a monster and we had to catch it, but…” His hands shook as he looked down at them. “Fiora. Where is she?! Is she okay?!”

“She has a scratch, but it wasn’t as bad as it looked, according to Sharla.” Dunban sighed, shaking his head. “Monsters, Shulk? I thought you knew better than to chase after fairytales.”

“I’m not, but monsters are  _ real _ !” He put his hand to his chest. “I’ve seen one with my own eyes, it hurt Fiora!”

“Fiora was hurt by a beast that wandered in from the woods.” Dunban looked away, as if hiding something. “You imagined it, Shulk! Sharla’s told me you aren’t sleeping enough. You’re seeing things and dragging my sister and Reyn into it.”

“That’s not true! Just ask them, they’ll tell you the same! That we saw a monster, went after it! We--”

“Shulk.” Dunban spoke again, his voice firm as he stared at the man. “Some things are better left undiscovered.”

Shulk felt a pain in his heart. One of his heroes since childhood refused to listen to him, to listen to what he had found. He may have sounded a bit crazy, but if anyone would believe something like this, he thought it would be Dunban… But no, he was alone.

Alone, unable to back himself up as Reyn slept away and Fiora was who-knows-where. He was alone in the belief, until they woke up.

He looked down at his feet, biting his lower lip, trying to find the words… But none came. There weren’t any, if Dunban didn’t want to believe him. He would probably meet up with Mumkhar later, scold the other man for “putting thoughts in Shulk’s head”, may even do the same with Klaus…

His fingernails dug into his skin. There was a monster, a monster who had hurt one of his best friends -- Dunban’s sister -- and Dunban didn’t care… Fine, then! He would care, instead. He would find the monster, and he would give it a taste of its own medicine. For hurting Reyn, for hurting Fiora, for running like that…

“Fine, I get it.” His voice was quiet as he closed his eyes. “...Forget I said anything. If there really are monsters, I’ll just keep it to myself, then.”

“Shulk.” Dunban frowned. “That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

He looked back at Dunban. “Then what  _ do  _ you mean, Dunban? Explain it to me, explain why you refuse to admit what’s right in front of our faces!”

Dunban went quiet then, looking out the window. “I… I can’t explain, not fully, Shulk. I am sorry.”

“That’s what I was afraid you would say…” He shook his head. “I should go, Klaus is probably worried sick and I need to get to work.”

“Shulk--”

“Goodbye, Dunban, I’ll come check on Fiora and Reyn in a while.” And with that, he stepped towards the front of the house, blocking out anything Dunban was trying to say.

Maybe Dunban was right, maybe it would be for the best to just ignore what he had seen. Chalk up Fiora’s wound to an animal attack and go on with his life… It would be easier that way, less questions to ask.

But Shulk couldn’t just leave it at that. Curse his own curiosity, he supposed, but he wasn't about to just leave this as it was. There was too much to uncover now, like who exactly that monster was…

And if it was, in fact, one of his coworkers.


	4. Lack of Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter!! This one was fun to write ehe

A trip home to change and an interrogation by both Klaus and Dickson as to where he’d been all night later, and Shulk was on his way to work. He hadn’t realized his adoptive father was going to be home -- when had he gotten back to town and why hadn’t he been told he had to wonder -- and that had made a bad morning even worse. Hopefully work would be calmer, at least.

“You’re late.” And there went any hopes of that. “I was starting to worry you were going to call in sick.”

Egil was staring at Shulk, but Shulk tried to ignore it as he clocked in. He probably looked horrible, which would explain the worry on the other man’s face, but that just made him not want to be looked at. He knew, he looked like he’d been tossed into a tree! No reason to stare over that.

He walked past Egil and shrugged, taking a seat at his desk. “Dickson was in town, he kept me busy this morning.”

There was an awkward layer of silence sitting over them for a moment, until Egil finally looked away with a hum of understanding. That was one thing he always liked about Egil, honestly. Always knowing when he needed to drop things with Shulk. It was a… mutual understanding they had.

With that dealt with and a quick mumble of hello to an equally worried Vanea, he got to work. A lot of paperwork had stacked up while he worked on some hands-on stuff, and it was time to play catch up. He wouldn’t be able to give his all on the funner stuff today, anyway.

“No Minix today, huh?” He mumbled to himself on about the third page of paperwork, noticing it was much quieter today compared to yesterday.

“Ah, yes. Minix is with Ylvex.” Egil snorted. “Probably interrupting any attempt at romance Ylvex and Kallian had planned today.”

“Last minute babysitting duty, then?”

“Father had to go out of town on short notice.” Vanea spoke up then. “And we decided against bringing them two days in a row, not when Doctor Galea is talking taxes today.”

“Doing taxes… ah, so Riki is here.” Shulk nodded. “Don’t want him giving Minix too much candy, huh?”

“Exactly!” Vanea nodded with a laugh. “But let’s just get to work.”

“Ah, yeah.”

And Shulk went back to work, doing his best to focus on it. Of course, it was hard to just do that when his friends were on his mind. He was still boiling with anger. At the monster for hurting them, at Dunban for not believing him, at himself for freezing up… Maybe if he hadn’t frozen like that, things would have turned out differently.

Didn’t help that he felt he was being stared at. Every time he glanced over his shoulder, he swore he caught Egil looking away from him. Just what was up with that? Was he imagining it or was Egil really staring? His paranoia was really getting the better of him.

With a groan, he rested his head against the desk. Today was not going well, at all. He felt so  _ stupid _ , so alone right now. Didn’t help that Klaus and Dickson had insisted he hurry home tonight… Didn’t want him out and in danger again, they said.

But he couldn’t just go home! There was too much at stake… Besides, he was a twenty-one year old, they couldn’t just tell him what to do. If he wanted to stay out hunting down the monster, he could.

A hand ran through his hair and he glanced up, seeing Egil frowning down at him. “You should go home, you look tired.”

“No… I don’t want to go home right now.” He looked back to the desk, preferring the darkness to Egil’s expression. 

“...Then go to my house and get some sleep, I’ll wake you up before it’s too late and send you home.” Egil’s hand ran through his hair again. “You’re not able to do much work as it is.”

Shulk sighed and pulled away from the desk. “Alright, fine…”

He stood and Egil gave him a small smile. “Good, thank you, Shulk.”

Shulk mumbled out a whatever as he clocked out and headed for the door with a sigh. He’d been to Egil’s once before, but he was sure he could get there again. It wouldn’t be too hard, save getting the Nopon to let him into the gated community.

...Eh, they were usually pretty agreeable, he guessed. Shouldn’t take more than a half-hour to get into the community. After that, he could get the key from under the doormat and get inside the house. Go up to Egil’s bed and sleep well, maybe… Egil’s smell was at least more comforting than the sterile smells of his home.

...He just hoped there wouldn’t be any monster-related nightmares for him.

\--

“Shulk, wake up.” Egil sighed as Shulk once again groaned and simply turned over.

He had sent the blonde to his home to catch up on some sleep, yes, but… He needed Shulk out of there before nightfall, lest he risk Shulk finding out just what was going on. But there Shulk was, clinging to one of Egil’s pillows and snoring softly.

He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. He looked so peaceful, and better than he had the last couple of days at work, but… What could he do? It was too dangerous to let him sleep here, and he couldn’t just  _ lock him in _ to make it work.

“Shulk, you’ve had plenty of time to sleep.” He used a slightly firmer tone, shaking his shoulder. “Wake up.”

Shulk turned again and wrapped his arms around Egil’s midsection with a whine. “Five more minutes…”

“I’ve been trying to wake you for fifteen, no more.”

Finally, the blonde opened his eyes with a groan as he looked up at Egil. He didn’t let go of him, instead simply pouting up at him. Egil had a bad feeling about this… But for now he simply stroked his hair again, hoping he just needed a moment.

“Can I stay here for the night?” Was the sleepy words he finally heard, Shulk relaxing against the hand in his hair. “I still don’t want to go home, Egil.”

Egil sighed, shaking his head. “Shulk, I can’t let you stay the night.”

He looked up at Egil with bleary eyes and a frown on his face. “Please? If I go home I’ll never hear the end of it, from Klaus or Dickson… I’ll stay in the room all night, if you don’t want me wandering around. Please…”

Egil sighed, doing his best to not be weak to this. He couldn’t give into Shulk, even if Miqol was gone -- trying to contact Machina in other communities to see if there was a way to avoid a transformation of a scratched human. He needed to be strong and tell Shulk to go home or to one of his friends’ homes.

But he stared up at him, holding tightly. It was making it hard for Egil to think straight… Oh, dammit, fine. He would just tell Vanea and Minix the room was off limits, then!

“Fine. Don’t leave this room for any reason, Shulk. There’s an attached bathroom if you need to use it, so there’s no need to leave.” He sighed, once again ruffling his hair. “I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

Shulk smiled up at him, eyes fluttering shut once again. “Thank you… Egil…”

“Mm, just don’t make a habit of this, alright, Shulk?” More than one day of this could be risky, very risky. He needed to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“Alright…” A large yawn as he nuzzled up a bit closer. “...Goodnight, Egil.”

“Goodnight, Shulk.”

\--

When Shulk woke up in the middle of the night, he was not alone.


End file.
